Requirements

Course of Study

The doctoral program requires a doctoral examination and a minimum of 75 hours: 60 hours of course work and 15 hours of dissertation research. All students must consult with the department chair at the beginning of their program to complete a Course Planning Document for Ph.D. or Ed.D. Learn about orientation, the course of study, and the dissertation and defense.

Degree Requirements

Required Core Courses (30 hours)

All doctoral students in the EAF department, whether in the P-20 or higher education concentrations, are asked to complete a core curriculum of 30 hours that focus on administrative theory and educational leadership (6 hours), qualitative and quantitative research design (6 hours), key issues in doctoral-level scholarship (3 hours), and – at the dissertation stage – work on dissertation research itself (15 hours).

        Course #                                       Course Title

• EAF 582                Administrative Theory in Education
• EAF 583                Seminar in Educational Leadership
• EAF 509                Research Design in Education
• EAF 415                Qualitative Research in Educational Settings
• EAF 594                Doctoral-level Scholarship
• EAF 599                Dissertation Research (15 sem hrs)

Leadership, Equity, and Inquiry Core Courses

• Research Courses (12 hrs)
• Foundations Courses (15 hrs)
• Cognate Courses (18 hrs)

Total Hours              75

Pass Comprehensive Examination

Defend Dissertation Research

Technology Requirements

To successfully complete Educational Administration and Foundations courses, students in all programs are expected to have frequent and convenient access to a computer and electronic resources. Review the EAF technology requirements.

Dissertation Information

• Institutional Review Board (IRB)
• CITI Training
• Change of Grade Form from DE to a Grade available from Advisor (can be used for EAF591/EAF 592)
• Graduate School Dissertation Information and Assistance

EAF DOCTORAL STUDENT HANDBOOK

Residency Policy

Learn about the residency requirement.

Completion Information

Within the first 2 weeks of the semester that you plan to graduate:

• Program contact fills out the Degree Audit from the Graduate School and sends it to the Department Chair, who will complete and forward to the Graduate School.
• Follow instructions on the Graduation Procedures page.

EAF 599 Override Dissertation Hours

• Each student must contact their advisor and discuss their planning document and dissertation plans. The advisor then contacts Kim Ward kdward1@IllinoisState.edu about an override for dissertation hours for the student. Future override dissertation hours will automatically be granted by Kim Ward for the student provided the student is continuously enrolled. After overrides are granted, the student can then register for EAF 599 for the number of hours that they have agreed upon with their advisor.
• Once students submit a proposal to the graduate school and complete 15 dissertation hours, they may register for EAF 599 Audit Hours that do not charge fees.